Avondale Historical Journal No. 69

7/30/2019 Avondale Historical Journal No. 69

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by Lisa J Truttman

The following comes from the Official War History of the Public Works Department, 1939-1945 , by Frank GeoffreyGrattan (1948), as well as from Archives New Zealand files held at Auckland.

In March 1943, the US Naval Operating Base in Auckland wrote to the New Zealand authorities requesting thatMobile Base Hospital No 6 (Mob 6) be constructed. The Public Works Department received instructions to prepareplans for this, the second American Naval Hospital to be built in Auckland. An area at Avondale bounded byRosebank Road, Victor Street and Holly Street was chosen, a portion of the site (closest to Holly Street) already des-ignated by the government as land for a future school. Because of this, Tibor Donner’s design (the project overseen

by the department’s resident architect in Auckland, Eric Price)incorporated a ready conversion at the end of the facility’s mili-tary and medical use to being that of a primary and intermediateschool (later this was changed to an intermediate and technicalhigh school). Construction began in the middle of May 1943.

Step out onto Avondale College grounds today, and you’ll see afairly expansive complex. Back when I was attending the school,though, from 1977-1981, I would have had a hard time imagin-

ing just how vast the American hospital once, and briefly, was.

The full scope of the Mob 6 project was to provide 2000 beds in22 wards with 11 lavatory blocks, a mess and galley, clinic, four

The AvondaleHistorical Journal

January—February 2013 Volume 12 Issue 69

Official Publication of the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society Incorporated

Next meeting of theAvondale-Waterview

Historical Society:

Saturday, 2 February 2013,2.30 pm

St Ninian’s ChurchSt Georges Road, Avondale(opp. Hollywood Cinema)

View of Avondale College, unknown date. Provided by Don Gwilliam.

The building of Mob 6: 1943-1944



The Avondale Historical Journal Volume 12 Issue 69

Page 2surgeries, physiotherapy and occupational therapyfacilities, X-ray department, dental clinic, sick officers’quarters, ships service room, its own post office, andquarters for the American Red Cross. Temporary hous-ing units of State House standard, built by ResidentialConstruction Ltd of Penrose, were also added to the sitefor accommodation purposes. There was a standalonelaundry, morgue, boiler and generating houses, garages(35 motor vehicle capacity, with greasing racks, carwashing facilities, repair shop and gasoline storagetank), a fire station, a brig (enough for 40 men, includ-ing offices, guard room, and a “bull pen”), and crewsrecreation quarters. At one point, an adjoining piece of land along Eastdale Road was considered for lease to beused as a baseball diamond, but this didn’t eventuateduring the brief period the hospital was in operation byAmerican armed forces. There were also 16 barracks

(barracks in the original proposal were to have housedaround 500 corpsmen and 100 chief petty officers), 14stores and a guard house built from pre-fabricated steelunits. In total 60 buildings were erected on the site,with a total floor area of 388,000 square feet.

According to Grattan: “The permanent buildings com- prising the school proper were constructed on concrete foundations, with timber framing covered externallywith brick veneer up to sill height and rusticated weather boarding above. Fabricated wooden trussroofing was sarked and covered with corrugated fibro-

lite. The interior was panelled in plywood to dadoheight with fibrous plaster above and pinex ceilings.”

The principal contractor was Fletcher Construction Ltd.As it so happened, James Fletcher was the wartimeCommissioner of Works. A total of 450 men were em-ployed during the project’s duration to both constructthe hospital, and later to demolish and convert the siteand remaining buildings to school use. There is a belief that the school buildings were constructed by Americanforces, the Naval “Seabees” (construction units) – butout of those working on the project, only 150 belongedto those units, and they assisted with the steel tempo-rary buildings. The original parts of Avondale Collegeand Avondale Intermediate were built by New Zealandcontractors and tradesmen, to New Zealand design.

There were issues almost immediately during construc-tion. In late June, Fletcher Construction complained tothe Public Works Department that “we are hemmed inmore or less all the time by drains, and at most times bydeep ditches, which are right alongside our job. Thismeans we have no hope of getting the timber carted byour trucks anywhere near the site.” The drainlayerswere, apparently, under contract direct with the depart-ment. Fletchers asked for more money as an extra tocover the time spent hauling timber over the drains.

This was also a project undertaken during an Aucklandwinter, with the former market gardens transformed

into a near-bog by rain and a progression of Americanvehicles; the Labourers’ Union reported that their mem-bers were often working in 1 foot of muddy slush, with-out the benefit of employer-supplied gumboots (thegumboots being unavailable.) The labourers asked foran extra 2d per hour in lieu of the gumboots under theterms of their award, over and above the 9d daily wetplace allowance they were already receiving. Thedepartment made a counter-offer of 1 ½ d per hour plusthe 9d daily allowance.

In September, there was additional urgency to completethe project as soon as possible, with the announcementof the intention to use the hospital for shock cases fromboth American and New Zealand forces. The depart-ment’s district engineer appealed to the Master Build-ers’ Association that they “kindly make a survey of anyteams engaged on work not of National importancewith a view to having them transferred to Avondale.Such action will help, not only the US forces, but our own boys who may be urgently requiring treatment.” The Association responded that they couldn’t find anyspare teams, but pointed out that “it is apparent that theFletcher Construction Co have considerable numbersof men engaged on less essential work and it might besuggested that some of this work be carried on withskeleton staffs so that the work at Avondale and Pukekohe can be carried on with greater dispatch.” Idon’t know if this exchange helped speed things up atthe hospital site or not.

The first patients were admitted 21 October 1943, fiveand a half months after construction began. The maxi-mum number of patients at any one time ended up be-ing 1050. Even so, as at February 1944 there were somewards still in an unfinished state. James Fletcher, asCommissioner of Works, wrote: “The work on the

Avondale Hospital has now reached the stage whenevery effort must be made to get the wards that are un-

finished completed and handed over for occupancy. It must be recognised that the Hospital buildings are tem-

porary, and it would appear that too much emphasis isbeing placed on the general finish of the building whichis resulting in delays which can be avoided.” It couldbe said that the hospital complex was never truly com-pleted; an intended chapel by the time buildings weredemolished existed only as a set of foundations, thework on it having been stopped at an earlier point.

The hospital ceased to function from 10 May 1944, andwork then began to convert the site to the two schools.Portable cranes were brought in to remove the tempo-rary housing units, many of which ended up as part of the transit camp at Western Springs. Education Boardarchitect Alan Miller stepped in, and was in charge of the setting out of the two future schools. The mess andgalley were demolished, moved in sections, and becamethe manual training wing of the new technical highschool (now Avondale College). The central portion of




Page 3

ON PARADE.WOMEN IN KHAKI.NATIONAL SERVICE CORPS.

With heads held high, and with military precision,members of the Women's National Service Corpsparaded at the Avondale racecourse this morning, whenthey were inspected by Brigadier P H Bell, DSO,officer commanding the northern military district. Forthe past week approximately 150 members of the corpshave been in camp there, and training to a schedule hasbeen carried out.

When Brigadier Bell arrived at the camp this morningthe corps, in charge of their commanding officer, MissD M Hawking, marched to the parade ground near thetotalisator house and drew up in battalion formation,then marched past in column of platoons. They formedup again, advanced in review order, and received Briga-dier Bell with the general salute. At the conclusion of the parade, which was in full dress, the general salutewas again given.

The brigadier inspected the corps and the camp, and

before leaving spoke highly of what he had seen. Hesaid that it was a most excellent performance, and thedrill was extremely good. The camp was a fine exampleof what a military camp should be. He added that thetraining had a definite purpose and it would providesections for various activities should the necessity arise.

the ships service and the laundry block were similarlyreused as a home science wing. The crews’ recreationbuilding was shifted to become the school’s engineer-ing workshop.

Total cost of the project, excluding demolition, was£641,727. To the dismay of the Education Ministry,given to understand the contrary at the outset by JamesFletcher, the cost of converting the hospital fell onto thevote for education funds, rather than those of the warassets realisation department. Discussions, correspon-dence and negotiations regarding valuation and quantitysurveying was still ongoing for the school buildingsright up to May 1945.

In October 1945, the Labourers’ Union was still in dis-pute with the Public Works Department, claiming fortheir members a 1½d per hour demolition allowance,while the department argued that the workers had beenengaged in dismantling, rather than demolition, andtherefore were not entitled to the allowance. The unioncountered by quoting the dictionary meaning of theword “demolition”. Whether they were successful inobtaining the backpay for their members is unknown.

Auckland Star 26 December 1940




Page 4

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The Avondale Historical Journal

Published by:the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society Inc.Editor: Lisa J. TruttmanSociety contact:19 Methuen Road, Avondale, Auckland 0600Phone: (09) 828-8494, 027 4040 804email: [email protected] information:

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The corps would be a big asset and of great value intime of emergency.

The members of the corps are having a happy timeunder canvas and the work is varied enough to make itinteresting. There is ample opportunity for recreation,with a canteen where at stated hours ice cream and softdrinks are procurable, while the site of the camp issurrounded with every facility.

When the parade was held to-day it was full dress,which meant wearing stockings, but when in workingdress about the camp, the girls in khaki are bare-legged

and they are getting just as much tan as they would onan Auckland beach.

The corps at full strength numbers about 400. A goodmany members are absent on vacation, but those whohave elected to spend their holiday week at Avondalehave probably had as good a time as they would havehad anywhere else. The drill is taken seriously, asshown by the military bearing of the young Auckland-ers in all their activities. They rise early to start a day of routine, and those who happen to be on guard are alertat their posts throughout the night. The catering is on

generous lines, and there is ample plain food withoutstriving for luxury. The midday meal is a simple repastin which bread, cheese and lettuce figures, and that isthe sort of midday meal that most people would prefer.Some of the corps are in their element when they get oncookhouse duty, and there are others who have discov-ered that the preparation of a meal can be a fascinatingoccupation.

Visitors to the camp have been impressed with the tidyway in which the tents are kept. There is a distinctfeminine touch in the way bedding and clothing is someticulously folded, but apart from that the generalappearance of everything is strictly military. At the gateone meets a determined looking young lady, with abaton in her hand, who stands smartly to attention asshe requests the visitor's pass and authority forentrance. And when that is produced the next stage is toheadquarters, where the military atmosphere is evenmore marked. Yet there is a courtesy and kindness withit all, which visitors appreciate just as much as theyadmire the high standard of efficiency which theWomen's National Service Corps has reached since itsinauguration.

From Auckland Star 31 December 1940

First public parade in Aucklandof Women’s National Service

Corps, Auckland Weekly News24 December 1940, ref. AWNS-19401224-34-4 , Sir GeorgeGrey Special Collections,Auckland Libraries.

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Avondale Historical Journal No. 69